Unigen Receives Patent for Aloe Antioxidants

Unigen Receives Patent for Aloe Antioxidants

LACEY, Wash.UnigenPharmaceuticals Inc. received a new patent (No. 6,884,783) from the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office, covering the composition of matter and usage of thecompanys proprietary antioxidant ingredients contained in its Aloewhite® andPervarin aloe-based raw materials. The company identified and purifiedspecific aloe chromones derived from Aloe vera and other plant species anddemonstrated their ability to inhibit free radical and oxidative damage bysuppressing free radical generation and production of reactive oxygen species.

Unigens patent disclosed that aloesin, an aloe chromone,had a much higher Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) than standardizedgreen tea and grapeseed extracts. Another chromone, aloeresin A, was four timesmore potent as a fast-acting antioxidant than the standardized green tea andgrape seed extracts. Aloeresin A was also shown to be a stronger antioxidantthan either alpha-tocopherol or vitamin C as measured by lipid peroxidationinhibition capacity. Aloeresin A inhibited lipid peroxidation and was shown tobe three times more potent than vitamin E, even at a low concentration.